Artem Pavlovich, how many volunteers are there in Russia today?
Artem Metelev: To the question “Do you consider yourself a volunteer?” Today, 19% of Russians answer in the affirmative. Even more – 28% – have already volunteered or are thinking about doing so.
According to my personal estimates, almost half of Russians are volunteers. The Association of Volunteer Centers brings together more than 160 organizations and volunteer centers. Nearly five million people and 76,000 organizations are registered on our DOBRO.RF platform.
Can you describe what the average volunteer looks like?
Artem Metelev: About three quarters of the volunteers are women, aged between 18 and 35. Among the volunteers, there are many people with higher education and good income. The percentage of participation in voluntary activities among young people is increasing particularly rapidly. She is the most active and the most creative. However, volunteering brings together a variety of social groups and generations. Volunteering “Silver” is developing very actively – 55 and older.
Experts note that not only is the number of volunteers increasing every year, but the attitude towards volunteers is also changing.
Artem Metelev: Volunteering has become a socially approved behavior: 76% of Russians would like their children or grandchildren to volunteer, and 90% trust people who volunteer. A major role in this change in the situation has been played by a change in state policy in the field of volunteering and the socially oriented non-profit sector as a whole. Now, non-profit organizations (NPOs) are supported in the same way as small and medium enterprises, and the development of volunteering has received systemic support, including at the legislative level.
And what exactly has changed?
Artem Metelev: The change in attitude towards volunteering has led to the introduction of new approaches to use the potential of volunteers and their experience in the main social areas – health, sport, culture, education. From September 1, 2023, 100 Russian universities will launch the “Service Learning” module, which will allow students to combine their studies with student practice in charitable foundations and socially oriented NGOs.
The largest age group of Belarusian volunteers (80%) is made up of people between the ages of 18 and 45. Photo: Egor Ermalitsky
Should volunteering bring a job advantage or extra points when entering university?
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p class=””>Artem Metelev: Volunteers receive well-deserved public recognition, including at the level of the country’s top leaders. It is very important. At the same time, an additional incentive system for volunteers is being developed. For example, a volunteer’s personal book is used. The experience recorded there can give points when entering universities, help you get to the most interesting volunteering events. Recently, a volunteer book was included in the list of documents for public services along with a passport and a military ID card. On the All-Russian portals for finding vacancies, the line “participation in volunteer programs” has been introduced into CV templates. These are different ways of saying “thank you” to someone and showing others that such a position in life is encouraged in our society. At the same time, volunteers also have weak points, for example the problem of trust between NGOs, civil society and the state, as well as between NGOs and companies.
What are you thinking about?
Artem Metelev: Not all regions of Russia have developed partnerships with the authorities. There are not enough modern programs that connect volunteers with partner organizations, there are not enough resources for effective collaborations, analysis and expertise. I would also note the underdevelopment of social interaction infrastructure at the municipal level and the need to expand educational programs for different target audiences. It is also important to develop volunteering with the participation of specialists from various fields, experts. We need to work closely with business, actively involve business and society.
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